HCAD Study Abroad

Expand Your Horizons: Study Abroad Opportunities

In today's world, there is a growing demand for well-rounded and globally-oriented architects and designers. Students acquire a better understanding of an increasingly international environment through foreign study. In conjunction with their professional studies, students also develop cross-cultural communication skills and increase their fluency in a second language by studying and living in another country. Enhanced communication skills enable a graduating student to compete and excel in a multinational or multicultural business environment.

Summer Abroad Programs

Students spend six weeks in Newark at the start of the summer semester learning analytical techniques, familiarizing themselves with a project site, a specialized program, as well as the local conditions and culture for a design studio project abroad. This forms the local context that these students will explore more deeply and in person during the last half of the summer semester abroad. Hillier faculty guide and instruct the students through all aspects of this experience through structured summer course work Student may register for up to 12 credits in design studio, history, and advanced graphics. Program lengths vary, with some lasting two weeks and others extending for a full summer semester. Students pay tuition to NJIT and a fee to cover travel costs including air fare, accommodations, bus tours and admissions. Assuming there is sufficient interest, NJIT students have several potential destinations from which to choose including:

Summer Study in Italy

Embark on an unforgettable Summer Study Abroad experience in Italy from May 27 – June 12, 2025, where architecture, interior design, and industrial design students will explore the rich Italian roots of design with a special focus on luxury yacht and maritime design. Travel through Venice, Milan, Florence, and Viareggio, engaging in hands-on design exercises, collaborative workshops, and site visits that highlight both historic and contemporary Italian design excellence. Whether refining yacht interiors, designing operational components, or conceptualizing innovative solutions, this program offers a unique opportunity to develop a global perspective while immersing yourself in cutting-edge design techniques and sustainable practices. For more information contact David Brothers

Vienna and the Wauchau Valley, Austria

Students learn about history, contemporary urban design, and architectural projects by visiting them in the metropolitan center of Vienna and the outlying historical Wauchau Valley. They learn about urban design architectural design processes and techniques, current challenges at the urban and architectural scale and architecture’s relationship between city, digital culture, landscape and agriculture. They will learn about UNESCO world heritage sites and how to operate within an historic context. Students also learn and practice how to communicate architectural and urban design ideas effectively. Read about the Summer 2023 trip here.

Gothenburg, Sweden

The Gothenburg design studio offers the students the opportunity to design a neighborhood within a complex, evolving, urban district. Students gain insight, skills, and knowledge that enable them to design better, safer, more equitable, resilient and sustainable buildings and communities. The site challenges them to consider the best land uses for an urban environment and the role architecture has to play in shaping community.  Considering Sweden and particularly Gothenburg’s ambitious and measurable steps toward not only stopping, but even reversing, climate change provides students with knowledge and skills as well as a new frame through which to consider design decisions relative to environmental impact. Read about the Summer 2023 trip here, or view a visual synopsis of the summer here. 

Fall and Spring Semester Study Abroad

In addition to summer offerings, NJIT Hillier College students may also take advantage of study abroad offerings during the regular academic year. Active institutional partners include:

Universitat Innsbruck, Austria

This exchange program is open to students studying Architecture in the fall or spring semesters. Consult with NJIT Professor Gernot Riether for information about Innsbruck’s course offerings.